An Ode to Three Course Meals: How to Navigate Philadelphia Restaurant Week

If you're anything like me, you highly value the combination of really good food at a really good price. That's why I always look forward to the two weeks of the season where I can take advantage of Philadelphia Restaurant Week. Some of the most famous restaurants in downtown Philadelphia create a special menu for this week of three courses for $20 for lunch or $35 for dinner. In short, it's awesome, and I highly recommend taking advantage of it to go to all those restaurants you've always been meaning to go to but never had a truly good enough reason to casually go for a super nice dinner. Now that I'm a seasoned pro at restaurant week, here are a few ways I've found are the best ways to take advantage of Restaurant Week:

1) Go to that restaurant

You know, the one you've been dying to try since you promised first day of freshman year that you would go into Center City all the time. Now's your chance! Grab some friends who made that same promise and take the initiative to finally try it out. Philly's restaurant scene is epic, and you're only here (for school, at least) once!

2) Go for lunch

Yes, I know it may seem odd to casually stroll downtown for a three course lunch in the middle of the week, but trust me, it's so worth it. It's cheaper without sacrificing much food. Plus, since Restaurant Week usually happens at the beginning of the semester, it can be a super fun way to reunite with friends after the break to catch up over a shared experience of eating a lot of really good food.

3) Do your research

It's true- some menus are better than others, and since multiple Restaurant Week meals can add up despite the insane deal it appears to be, I highly recommend looking through every menu to see which is the most appealing. If you're choosing a restaurant to go with a group, keep in mind the value of ordering different things and sharing everything for maximum taste testing.

4) And if you're here in the summer... go in University City!

I was here during the summer and was able to take advantage of UCity Dining Days, which has a slightly different setup but was still an awesome way to try out restaurants near campus that I had been meaning to try. Look out for it if you're in Philly for the summer!

-Caitlyn R. '17